The fall of 'The Punisher': Rodrigo Duterte’s path to the ICC

MANILA, Philippines — Rodrigo Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines, rose to power in 2016 on a promise to eradicate crimes, particularly illegal drugs.

A former Davao City mayor known as "The Punisher," Duterte won with over 16 million votes. His campaign promise was to kill criminals. His presidency was defined by a bloody drug war that led to thousands of deaths and drew international scrutiny.

Government data recorded at least 6,200 drug-related deaths, but human rights groups estimate the toll could be as high as 20,000.

Lawyer and Akbayan party-list nominee Chel Diokno cited an official report listing 20,322 drug-related deaths as "accomplishments," with 3,967 in police operations and 16,355 in vigilante-style killings.

READ: Evidence in Duterte ICC case: His ‘kill’ rhetoric, words

With this, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2018 launched an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity under Duterte's leadership, covering his tenure as Davao mayor from 2011 to 2016 and Philippine president from 2016 to 2019.

Duterte responded by withdrawing the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, a move widely seen as an attempt to evade accountability.

However, on March 11, 2025, Duterte was arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) upon returning from Hong Kong. His arrest followed an ICC warrant related to his administration’s drug war and alleged crimes against humanity.

READ: EXPLAINER: What’s next after arrest of Rodrigo Duterte?

The following timeline outlines Duterte’s rise to power and eventual ICC arrest, based on INQUIRER.net’s archives and previous reports.

2016

May 9 - Duterte won the 2016 presidential election with more than 16 million votes.

June 30 - Duterte was inaugurated as the first Philippine president from Mindanao, vowing to eliminate crime and corruption within six months.

July 1 - Duterte launched a nationwide anti-drug campaign, later known as the Philippine war on drugs. Government data recorded over 6,200 suspects killed in drug war operations, but human rights groups estimate a much higher toll, alleging police executions and cover-ups.

October 13 - Then-ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced her office was “closely following” the Philippines as drug war deaths continued to rise.

November - Duterte suggested withdrawing from the ICC, calling it "useless," following Russia’s exit from the tribunal.

2017

April 24 - Lawyer Jude Sabio filed a complaint against Duterte before the ICC, accusing the latter of "mass murder" in the Philippines. Sabio represented Edgar Matobato, a confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, who alleged Duterte was behind the killings in Davao City as mayor.

June 6 - Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and then-Magdalo party-list Representative Gary Alejano filed a “supplemental complaint” with the ICC, supporting Sabio’s allegations and linking Duterte to drug war-related killings.

2018

February - The ICC launched a “preliminary examination” into alleged crimes against humanity in Duterte’s drug war.

March 17 - In response to the ICC probe, Duterte announced the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute, which is the treaty that established the ICC. However, the treaty states that the withdrawal shall only take effect “one year after the date of receipt of the notification.”

2019

March 17 - The Philippines' withdrawal from the ICC took effect, seen as Duterte’s move to avoid accountability for the drug war killings. However, the ICC retained jurisdiction over crimes committed from November 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019, when the Philippines was still a member-state.

2020

January 15 - Sabio withdrew his ICC complaint against Duterte, saying it was "not in the interest of justice" and was just “propaganda.” He claimed former senators Trillanes and Leila de Lima had influenced him to file the case.

January 18 - De Lima, still detained during this time, denied Sabio’s claim, saying she did not direct him to file the complaint. She also disclosed that she had filed her case against Duterte before the ICC in October 2017.

2021

August - Families of Duterte’s drug war victims under the Rise Up for Life and for Rights, with their counsel from the NUPL lawyers, urged the ICC to prosecute Duterte for leading the violent anti-drug campaign in the country.

September 15 - The ICC’s pre-trial chamber authorized a formal investigation into crimes against humanity in Duterte's drug war, covering events from July 1, 2016 to March 16, 2019.

November 10 - The Philippine government, through then-Ambassador to the Netherlands Eduardo Malaya, formally requested the ICC to defer its investigation, claiming that the Duterte administration was already addressing drug war-related killings and that “the country’s justice system was working.”

November 18 - ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan “temporarily suspended” the ICC probe to assess the deferral request.

2022

June 24 - Citing dissatisfaction with the Philippine government's probe into the numerous killings during the war on drugs, Khan requested the pre-trial chamber to resume its investigation into drug war-related deaths, including those linked to Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor.

June 30 - Duterte’s six-year presidency ended, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office. Despite stepping down, Duterte remained a polarizing figure in Philippine politics.

2023

January 26 - The ICC pre-trial chamber reopened its investigation into drug war killings, stating it was not convinced that the Philippines was conducting sufficient investigations to justify halting the probe.

November 24 - Marcos said his administration was studying the possible return of the Philippines as a member-state of the ICC.

2024

January 31 - Retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, a self-confessed member of the Davao Death Squad, revealed that he had testified before ICC investigators. Lascañas accused Duterte of masterminding the DDS and named several individuals involved in the previous administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign.

May 7 - Trillanes said that the ICC is expected to issue an arrest warrant against Duterte and other individuals by June or July.

July - Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and four other former Philippine National Police officials – Oscar Albayalde, Romeo Caramat Jr., Eleazar Mata, and Edilberto Leonardo – were “considered suspects” in the ICC’s case against Duterte over his administration’s drug war, according to Trillanes.

November 14 - Marcos insisted that the Philippines would not cooperate with the ICC's investigation into the Duterte administration’s drug war.

2025

March 7 - Duterte traveled to Hong Kong and led the PDP-Laban senatorial campaign sortie among overseas Filipino workers. During the sortie, he asserted that everything he did during his term as president was for the Filipino people, amid a looming ICC arrest warrant.

March 9 - The Marcos administration said it was "prepared for any eventuality" if the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Duterte, according to PCO Secretary Jay Ruiz.

March 11 - Upon returning from Hong Kong, Duterte was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on an ICC warrant for crimes against humanity linked to his drug war. His detention sparked controversy, with his aides alleging constitutional rights violations, while drug war victims' families welcomed the arrest. Duterte is now under police custody.

(2025/03/11-17:21)